*The next day*
"Where are you going baby?" Howie asked Carly.
"I just remembered that I need to call Amber back. She left me a message three days ago but with everything that happened... I didn't think about calling her back. I'll be back in a jiffy!" she replied before to put a little kiss on his lips.
"Alright! Make it fast!" Howie smiled. Carly smiled back and walked to the first floor of the hospital, where they were allowed to use their cell phone. She sat on a little bench in the corner of the big room. There were people coming in and out all the time so she placed a hand on her other ear so she could hear better.
"Hello?!?"
"Hey Amber! How are ya doing??" Carly asked knowing she was on the other side of the line.
"Carly!!!! It's so great to hear from you!! I'm doing quite good! What about you?" Amber asked excited to hear from her friend.
"I'm doing not bad... " Carly answered with a sigh.
"Where are you? There's a lot of noise around you ...!?"
"Yes sorry...I'm ... at the hospital..." Carly sighed again.
"What??? What's wrong?!?" Amber exclaimed.
Carly told Amber all about Nick's accident. After she finished the story, she waited for an expression from Amber but there was no sign.
"Are you still there????" Carly said.
"You're not serious?" Amber asked.
"Unfortunately yes..I wouldn't joke with that." Carly sighed.
"God ..that's unbelievable!" Amber sighed.
"I know... and it's so hard to see him like that!! He's like dead..." Carly said with tears falling on her cheeks.
"Oh I'm so sorry Carly!!"
"It's not your fault sweetie..." Carly replied wipping the tears. She could tell Amber was crying too from the way she was talking.
"Well... " Amber started.
"No it's not alright? Don't start blaming yourself too!! Brian and Naomie are already blaming themselves all the time.. I don't need you to feel guilty too!" Carly giggled.
"I'm sorry..."
"Anyway..." Carly said trying change the subject of the conversation. "What have you been up to?? Are you in town?"
"No. I'm in New York right now. Doing some audition to find a job. I'm living with a friend in her appartement."
"Really? That's cool. I hope you'll find something soon!"
"I hope too! But I just did an audition yesterday... and I think it went pretty great. It's for a show on Broadway!!!" Amber said excited.
"No? For real?? That's great!!! If you get it, I'll come and see you for sure!!!" Carly smiled.
"It'd be great!"
"And... what about...you know..Brian and everything..are you over it?" Carly asked.
"Well...I'm alive. It's hard but... I think I'll get over it someday.." Amber answered. "How is he doing?"
"Well..because of Nick's accident... he's not going really good. I've never seen him so sad... we all would like to help him but it's hopeless. He just stay next to Nick...waiting for him to wake up..."
"He finally forgave him?" Amber asked.
"Yeah I guess he did." Carly answered not too sure if Amber would be happy about that.
"That's great. I knew their friendship would never end up like this..."
"I'm sorry it didn't work out for you and Bri... " Carly said really sorry.
"Oh well... I feel like if he forgave Nick..he kinda forgave me too... anyway, I'll get over him.."
"I know you will. Do you know if you'll come back here someday? It'd be fun to hang out.."
"It'd be fantastic! I miss you guys so much!" Amber said with tears in her eyes.
"I miss you too!! Call me as soon as you have news for the job huh?? I sure will come and see you. Or if you get any job with a group of whatever... I want to know!"
"I'll call you for sure! And....if...if Nick wakes up, call me ok? Or if anything happen...I'd like to know.." Amber said.
"I will! It was nice talking to you again girl!" Carly exclaimed. "Good luck!!"
"Yeah! Thanks!! Tell everyone hi from me!" Amber replied.
"I will! Bye! Take care! See ya babe!" Carly said and hung up. She walked back at Nick's room.
"So??" Howie asked her when she came in the room. "What did she want?"
"She only wanted some news..."
"Great! She's doing okay?"
"Yup I think she is!" Carly smiled.
"Good for her!"
"Do you want to go for a walk??"
"Yeah sure!" he replied standing up. The two lovers left the room hand in hand.
Kevin was now alone in the room since everyone had left to eat or walk. He was waiting for Stacey impatiently. He didn't like to be alone with Nick's incouscious body. It was making him feel he was like dead and he hated this feeling. He looked out the window and stared at the beautiful blue sky. "It's about time we can get some sun..." he said out loud. He turned back and looked at Nick again. "It's a sunny day as you love them. You never liked rain didn't you?..." he paused feeling a little weird to talk with someone who wasn't responding. "Well..let me tell you that your accident brang rain on everybody... we all care for you Nick." he paused again and walked next to him. "I know I'm often on your back... but it's all because I care for you... I just want to protect you...you know that right? I'm your big brother... remember that? When people were saying I was like a father for you and you kept saying...'No, he's our big brother...'" Kevin giggled. "I always thought it was so great from you... not that I don't want to be your father...but you already have parents...and you're a very talented and great boy and I'm sure they are really really proud of you!" he paused again staring right at Nick's eyes. "I am proud of you!" he said with a weaky voice. "Did you hear me Nick? I am proud of you! You can't leave your life like this...you have a destiny and I am sure it's not to end up in this hospital bed! You need to make people happy...with your voice, your talent, your happiness!" he said with tears in his eyes. He sat on the small chair next to the bed. "Oh well... I know you won't wake up until you are ready to...we can't force you. But just remember one thing... even if you did a mistake...we all did some in our lifes.... and we'll always be proud of you!" he added with tears falling on his cheeks.
"Are you alright baby?" Stacey asked with a worried face as she entered in the room and saw Kevin sobbing.
"Yeah...I'm okay!" he answered.
"You sure?" she asked, sitting on his lap.
"Yes I do..." he replied with a little smile. She wipped the tears away from his face and smiled back. Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist and rest his head on her shoulder as she stroke his back.
*Later that night*
Becky had fallen asleep on the couch next the AJ. They were all in the waiting room now cuz Nick needed some calm moment to rest. Naomie was sleeping on a little bunk next to Brian's one. Nick's parent had been gone to take some fresh air. AJ woke up and looked all around him, everybody was asleep. He decided to go see Nick for a couple of minutes since he couldn't go back to sleep. He walked in the room where his so called brother was laying in front of him in a bed not even able to move or speak. He sat on the chair next to Nick's bed and looked at him with a small smile.
"I promise Becky I wouldn't shake you up!" he giggled nervoursly remembering his talk with Becky. He hoped that Nick would laugh or something like that but again no sign. Aj kept looking at Nick not really knowing what to say or to do. "I know... I know you can hear me Nick... I know you can!" he spoke after a moment of silence.
"Remember when you were just a little monster that was gettin on everybody's nerve?I'm sure you do remember Nicky! I sure do... sometimes I just wanted so hard to knock you off!"Aj said with a little laugh "But I never did it!"
He stood up and walked to the window ... he looked at the moon for a couple of minutes feeling tears coming in his eyes... he didn't really wanted to let the tears rolls down because he wanted to be strong... even if bein strong doesn't really mean to not cry.
"We can see the ocean from here Nick! Don't you like the Ocean?? Yes you do ...of course you do!!!that's why you have a shark on your shoulder...cuz you love the Ocean!!" As he said that, tears rolled down his cheeks even If he tried to not let them flow. "I feel like I am talking to a 3 years old kid man!"Aj said walking back ans seating in the chair next to Nick,s bed "Maybe it's just because I'm a freak huh?!you would like to be such a freack as I am huh Nick?Don't you?! You don't need to be such a freack... all the girls like you! everbody like you Nick! Everybody needs you... I need you... I won't be me If you're not there Nick! ...Now I feel like I am talking to my girlfriend or something like that!" he said trying to hold back the tears..."You're suppose to laugh Nick!" he waited again for a sign... but once more nothing happened. "Dammit Nick can't you just wake up!You're driving me crazy!" exclaimed AJ resting his head on Nick's hands as he cried softly.
*The next day*
"Mr Carter?!" the doctor said looking for Nick's parents as he entenred the waiting area.
"Yes?" they both said walking to the doctor.
"Is there something wrong?!" Bob asked worried.
"I'd like to talk to you about something." the doctor told them.
"Sure!" Jane said looking at her husband as they all walked to the doctor's office
"I hope everything is fine!" Howie asked concerned.
"let's hope so!" Carly said softly.
"Where are Bob and Jane?!" Brian asked as he and Naomie came back from the pay phone.
"The doctor wanted to see them" Aj told them.
"What?? Is everything alright?" Naomie asked.
"We don't know the doctor asked them to go in his office... well they followed him to his office! he wanted to talk to them for what I've heard."Aj explained.
"Geez!" Brian exclaimed seating on a chair.
"Have a seat!" the doctor said as he took place by his desk
Jane took her husband's hand, scared of what the doctor might told them.What If her son wasn't gonna make it?.She couldn't believe that, Nick, her son was in that situation at this very moment.She was about to loose hope to see him alive again. She knew Nick and knew he would fight for his life... but Nick wasn't the same the month before his accident... What had happened?! So many question were running in her head, she couldn't think straight... all she wanted was her son to be ok. She missed him so much since the last 5 years. she couldn't see him go away like this.
"You wanted to talk to us?" Bod spoke first.
"Yes!" the doctor confirmed. He took a deep breath before to continue ."As you probably noticed Nick's state haven't change He is in a deep coma since now 4 days, nothing has changed...we wish we could do something but we can't. The only thing we can do is to wait. Usually, when we live situation like right now..."
"You mean Nick's situation?!in the coma?" Bob asked
"Yes. Your son is in a deep coma but not as deep as the word mean... Nick his between 2 level of coma! It's unusual but we had some case before. As I said usually in that state of coma, after 2 or 3 days we have sign that the patient will wake up... but now after several test, we're about to loose hope for Nick!" the doctor explain softly.
"What you're about to loose hope?! Are you trying to say that my son will die?" Jane asked as tears were falling from her eyes.
"We don't know!But Nick seems to have nightmares often and..."
"Isn't it a good sign?!" Nick's father asked
"Sometimes it is yes. But in Nick's case it's just not helping, that's just mean that he's fighting against everything ,that he's scared and when you're scared and you're fighting, you get tired. That's what normally happens to people in the coma who are forced to stay here instead of bein where they should be.... where God wants them."
"You mean that my son belong to God and not here on earth with everybody who loves him?!" Jane asked upset and gettin angry.
"Well .... I... No but..." the Doctor tried to explained.
"What my wife was trying to ask is... How are we forcing him to stay with us?"
"Well you're not forcing him... but he feels forced to stay alive... when people tells him that they need him here that he can't leave, he feels force to stay .... it's like if you have, I don't know, like if you two were divorce and Nick was only 5 years old... and Mrs, on your side you're telling him to stay with you instead of being with his father cuz you love him and then your husband at the same time on his side is doing the same thing. That's what confuse Nick! Do you see my point?!"
"Yes!You you're saying that we should tell him that If he has to leave, we should understand and we let him go?!" Bod asked.
"I think it's the best solution for now! If he has to wake up he will! If not... he won't! It's up him. I know it's hard to go throught this but if it's the only solution to help him I think it's important to think twice about it! Nobody wants to see Nick go but nobody want him to go throught more pain!" the doctor said.
Brian sat beside Nick and stared at his friend lying on the bed. It has been 4 days since he had his accident and nothing had changed. People were starting to lose hope. Even the doctor...even his parents! Were they right? Did he really have to tell him that he could leave if he wanted to? No! He couldn't him like that. It wasn't fair. He didn't want Nick to leave. He wanted to come back and get things as they used to be. When they both were shooting hoops during their free time. When they both were playing tricks on everybody and laughing their asses off at it. When they were playing video games and were always fighting on who was going to win. When they were having pillow fight in the hotel room. It couldn't be over. He could not believe how Jane and Bob could say things like that. "Don't they love their child?" he kept thinking. "Of course they do!" he always was answering. He knew they were right but he couldn't believe it. Was he really going to tell Nick that he could leave and go to heaven if he wanted to? It was so hard. And it hurted him so much inside. "Maybe it's better this way..." he was still hearing Howie's sad voice as he had said that. How better could it be? Brian wasn't thinking this way. But he knew Howie was as sad as himself. But how could he pushed him to let Nick goes? Things were so mixed up in his head. Tears were flooding of his eyes.
"I can't believe I'm gonna tell you this Nick..." he started with pain. He wipped away the tears from his face but they kept falling down on his cheeks. "Can you believe what your parents are telling me to do? ... I can't.." he paused and took Nick's hand in his. "I don't want you to die!! Believe me, I don't! I know I've been a jerk and stupid during the past month... but I was angry. I didn't mean all that I was saying!" he cried. "I forgive you!" he whispered. "Did you hear me?? I forgive you!!!" he shouted louder. "I know I've already told you this... but I want to make sure you understand. I don't want you to think I'm still mad you." he stopped and took a deep breath. "If you really have to leave... I'll understand... but I want you to do it knowing that I forgive you. It's important for you to know that. Because if can keep you here with us..." he stopped again and started sobbing. He was feeling a huge pain in his chest. It was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He couldn't think about Nick dying. It wasn't right. He had so much things to do in his life. "If all this happened between you and Amber.. it's probably a sign that she wasn't the one for me." he said. "And I think it happened to strenghten our friendship...not to destroy it. Well...it's a little to late to realize that huh? ...and I'm not here to tell you this..." he sighed and wipped the tears from his cheeks. This time, they stopped falling. "I'm here to tell you that... if you really have to leave... if you really have to go in Heaven... well ... I'm okay with it. I don't want you to but.. if it really have to happen...then... I'm okay with it. If you're happier up there than down here... then go. I just want you to be happy.. I want you to be the happiest guy ever." he said with a lot of emotions. He couldn't see what was in front of him because of all the tears he was holding. "I'll...I'll always remember everything we've done together. Everything we have shared... they'll always stay in my mind...forever." he added before the tears started flooding again. He rest his forehead on Nick's hand as he cried like a baby. Suddently, a move caught his attention.
Up to chapter 45
Back at home